Hi David
I could probably dig up what I wrote in the previous pro/am collaboration thread, I don't think too much has changed
for me in that time.
1. Yes and No
2. I doubt I could add much more to what the others have said. Measurements through observing and imaging which, once analysed, help to add to our understanding of how things formed, how things evolve, how they interact, etc.
3. No, I don't think so.
4. I submit my images for study to groups such as the BAA, JUPOS, ALPO, CMO and IOPW. That is, i'm not doing the scientific work myself, but the hope is that my images can be used and studied which may uncover or reveal something that
can be used as 'real' science.
Quite a few Aussies (myself included) have had our work used in journals such as the BAA and in a submission to Nature, and I've worked in collaboration with Glenn Orton (JPL) with some Jupiter imaging, so I guess that shows that amateurs (even just taking pretty pictures) can make contributions to real science.
I love reading about the work that amateurs do with photometry, astrometry, occultation timings, etc. I'd love to get involved with some of that in the future but at this stage, I don't have the time or motivation to go further with it.
Also like Karl, my knowledge of Maths and Physics is not my strongest point which can limit my usefulness in that field
